Kidnapped Plus One
by issolafox
Summary: Runaway Au Sequel to Mines and other things.  George and Ted haven't disappeared, and the man who wanted the boys this first time, hasn't given up trying to get them : Part 1
1. PART 1

Title : Kidnapped plus one

Author Megan

Rating FRT

AU- Runaways

Disclaimer: Mag 7 doesn't belong to me

Author's note :

Thanks to Enola for being an awesome beta. Katy for creating the AU.

This is the sequel to Mines and other things

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George slid his hat lower. "You sure we're safe here? What if they recognize us?"

Ted shook his head. "They won't. I doubt the kids even remember what we look like. It's been what? Three weeks? Besides, the boss said we had to bring the kids to him. He wants them."

George sighed, "You can't really believe that these men are going to just let us just take the kids and wander off with them."

Ted smiled slightly. "We just have to wait for the boys to be alone with just one of the men. I would pick when they're with that gambler. He looks to be the least dangerous of the group."

"He looks plenty dangerous."

Waving his hand, Ted grinned. "Yes, but the others are more dangerous. Besides, I'm sure we can control him a little bit more."

George just stared at Ted. "You can't be serious. Do you know who these guys have taken down?"

"Doesn't matter. Our boss wants them. We just need to kidnap them and the gambler. The gambler can take care of the kids as we take them to the boss. We just have to make sure he realizes that if he tries anything, the boys will suffer for it."

George smiled softly at Ted. "That could be interesting."

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Ezra stared at the two boys. They were finally sleeping. Since the kidnapping, the boys hadn't want any of their Uncles or Da's out of their sights. Then this had come up. The prisoner transfer and protection for a gold shipment had left the town with only two protectors, Nathan and him, until there was emergency at one of the farms. Then it was just him.

The boys hadn't been happy to see that everyone was gone. Since Nathan had to ride out, the boys hadn't left his side for a moment. Ezra was just lucky that nothing had happen and that they would all be back tomorrow.

With a last look at the boys, Ezra started down the stairs. Just as he reached the bottom, he stopped. He had heard the click of a trigger being pulled back.

Turning to where he had heard the noise, he frowned. "Who are you?"

George smiled, "You don't need to know. You just need to decide if you want us to kill you now or later."

"I have a choice?"

Ted spoke up. "Yep, the boss said not to kill anyone, just take them. Though, we wouldn't mind killing someone. So, you want to die now?"

Ezra frowned. "Before I tell you, why are you here?"

The cowboy holding the gun smiled. "Why, I thought that was obvious. We want the boys. Well, more exactly, our boss wants the boys."

"What do you mean he wants the boys? They aren't his." Ezra hissed out.

Ted snorted. "They aren't anyone's. They're orphans. Now decide."

"If I die later, I'll be with the boys until we get to your boss's place?"

George nodded, "If you're good, the boss might let you live."

Ezra closed his eyes, "I would take later. I take from your expressions that you are going to take the boys from their beds?"

Ted shook his head. "What else do you think we would be doing in here?"

"Can I get them dressed at least?"

George shook his head. "Grab pants and a shirt for them later. No shoes, I don't want them running. You can dress them after we get on the road."

With a nod, Ezra turned to go back upstairs. When he turned, he didn't see Ted raise his gun and bring it down on his head. All he saw was the world going black.

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Chris woke up when a 'thunk' from downstairs registered in his sleeping mind. Looking around the dark room, he moved his arm and nudged Buck, while hissing quietly. "Wake up."

The younger boy woke up instantly. Blinking, he leaned into Chris, whispering, "What?"

"Something is wrong. Go and hide under the bed."

The younger boy didn't even stop to ask. He started to get out of bed, but he was too late. Two large figures blocked the doorway.

The larger of the two figures spoke. "I wouldn't move if you want your Uncle to live."

The boys froze. They recognized the voice. Chris spoke up softly. "Where is he?"

George smiled. "Alive, for now. As long as you two behave."

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Gagged and bound, the two boys couldn't take their eyes off the man that was tossed over the saddle of his horse. Ezra hadn't moved in the last hour. As they rode, the boys had kept their eyes on the unconscious figure, watching for any sign of wakefulness.

George and Ted, for their part, didn't seem to care. They had slung the gambler on the first horse they had seen in the livery, then they had grabbed one boy each and made their way out of town.

As the boys stared, they were finally rewarded when the figure thrown across Chaucer started to shift around and make noise.

The kidnappers ignored the sounds for several long minutes. Finally, George pulled his horse to a stop. Ted followed and jerked the horse Ezra was on to a stop.

Getting off his horse, George glared at Buck for a long moment. Seeing that the boy wasn't going to try and get off the horse, he moved over to the wakening man.

Not even trying to be kind, George shoved Ezra off the horse onto the hard ground.

Flipping over the gambler, George leaned down. "See ya waking up. You think you can ride the horse the correct way, or should I leave you like a sack on it?"

Seeing the face leering over him, Ezra softly spat out, "I can ride."

"Good, cause we can go, then. We aren't stopping till we get back to the boss."

Reaching down, George hauled Ezra up and set him on the horse correctly, making sure that his hands were tied to the saddle horn, and his feet were tied to the stirrups.

With a grin, George turned his back and headed to his horse, not paying attention to the glare from the bound man.

Ezra jerked as his horse started to walk. Taking several minutes to find his balance, he finally had a chance to catch his breath. When he was sure he was ready, he looked around, happy at least to find that he could see both Chris and Buck, and both boys seemed fine.

Closing his eyes for a moment, trying to stop the earth from spinning around him, he was happy to see when he opened them the earth seemed to have stabilized.

With a deep breath, he hoped it would be light soon so he could see where they were going and maybe find a way to escape.

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As the sky lightened, Ezra noticed that the last of dizziness was leaving him. Also, he could finally see the boys clearly. Making eye contact with each boy, he bite back the growl that wanted to escape.

Both boys were tired and scared. Ezra could tell that both boys had been staring at him for a long time, fighting sleep to stay up to keep an eye on him.

Wishing he could speak, Ezra instead settled for a wink to each boy and a short bow of his head, to let them both know that he was all right. The smile in return, from both boys, eased his worries about the boys some.

With a glance around, he was surprised to recognize the area from where they had found the boys last time. Staring at the distance, he tried to remember what was along the track they were taking besides abandoned farms and mines.

Giving up on those thoughts when his head started to hurt, Ezra wished he could have done something to let the others know what had happened. He couldn't imagine what the others guys, especially Vin and JD, would react to finding an empty house.

With a deep sigh, Ezra turned his attention back to the course they were taking. If they got a chance to escape, he wanted to know how to get back to Four Corners.

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	2. PART 2

Part 2 of ?

See Disclaimer Information in Part 1

The sun was going down as two riders reached the edge of town. Both riders sighed in relief. They had pushed throughout the day to get home before night. Neither of them had wanted to stay one more night away if they didn't have to.

Leaving their horses with Tiny at the livery, the two men made a quick walk to their home, with their saddle bags thrown over their shoulders.

As they reached the door to the house, the saddle bags hit the sidewalk with a thud. The door was ajar and there were no sounds coming from the house or lights on.

Reaching for their guns, they pulled them out and entered the house, searching each room for Ezra or the boys.

They finally climbed the stairs. Searching the second floor, they reached the last room. Sharing a quick glance, they burst into the room as one, and stopped dead.

It was empty. All that was there was a messed up bed and the boys' nightclothes were strewn about on the floor.

Putting away their guns, the two men looked at each other. JD was the first to speak. "What happened?"

Going into the boys' room and looking at the clothing and other items strewn about, Vin turned and frowned. "I think they were taken by someone."

"You're thinking it was the guys form before, the ones that took them a few weeks ago?"

"Can't think of anybody else that would want to take them."

"You sure? They took Ezra with them. Why would they take him?"

Vin shrugged. "I wish I knew. Maybe to make sure the boys wouldn't escape again? Somehow, though, they knew most of us were gone, leaving the boys vulnerable."

JD nodded thoughtfully. Moving around the room, he absently picked up the clothes on the floor. "Do you think we can find them?"

"We know what direction they were going, so we might be able to find their tracks. Follow the tracks to them."

JD nodded, moving over to the window in the room, he gazed at the quiet town. Turning back to Vin he looked at the tracker with hope. "You think we'll find them?"

Vin stood up. "Yes. I can find them. We won't lose them."

JD took a deep breath. "You're right, we'll find them."

Clapping JD on the shoulder, Vin nodded. "We will. We can leave at first light. We need some sleep first. Then tomorrow, we'll gather the supplies and head out."

JD nodded, heading out of the room. He kept the thought to himself that he wouldn't get much sleep tonight or any night until the boys were returned.

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Ezra closed his eyes. His headache had disappeared several hours ago, which was one less thing to worry about- though he still had no clue where they were going. Staring at the two kidnappers, Ezra cleared his throat, trying to catch their attention. "Sirs..We need to stop."

George turned around on his horse. "We aren't stopping. Besides, we paused not an hour ago. They're fine."

"They aren't fine. They need to sleep on something other then horses and to have a decent meal."

Ted snickered, then spoke up. "Shut up. We're almost there, they can eat then."

Raising an eyebrow at that information, Ezra sighed. "So where is there, then? We're in the middle of nowhere."

Ted grinned. "You can't see it yet. It's well hidden. Our boss doesn't like visitors."

Ezra frowned, "I can see that. What should we expect?"

George growled softly. "Stop talking. The boss will deal with you. Till then, you either can be quiet or we can just shoot you."

Ezra fell quiet, not wanting to see if the threat would actually be carried through. Staring at the boys, he made sure to grin, to give the boys some hope.

Resettling himself in the saddle, Ezra looked around the landscape, hoping to get a hint of where the cabin was.

Luckily for him, he didn't have long to wait. After traveling around a small box canyon and through a small pass, they came out into a valley. As they looked down into the valley, there was a rather large farm house with a large stable off to the side of it.

Ezra blinked and looked over at the boys to see how they were reacting.

Frowning when he spotted the look of fear that crossed the boys faces, Ezra called out. "It'll be all right, don't worry."

George snorted slightly. "It might be fine for the boys, but I might start praying if I were you."

Ezra glared at the man. "I doubt I will be the one that needs to say their prayers."

Shaking his head at the gambler, George started forward. Ted took a moment to grin at Ezra before following George and tugging Ezra's horse forward.

Taking one more long look at the valley they were going into, Ezra just hoped he would get a chance to escape.

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Vin and JD paused to take a drink from their canteens and give the horses a quick break. JD turned back and looked at where they came. "You think we're on the right track?"

"Yep, this is where the trail is leading, though it looked like they didn't stop. They knew their route and wanted to get somewhere fast."

"You think we have a chance to catch up with them?"

Putting away his canteen, Vin shook his head. "I don't know. If they didn't stop to rest the horses, then I highly doubt it. They have too much of a lead. If they stopped, maybe."

Closing his eyes, JD gave a deep sigh. Opening them again, he climbed back onto his horse. "You think we'll find them?"

Vin nodded. "Yes. Ezra won't let anything happen to them, he gets a chance to escape with them he will. We aren't going to lose the boys."

Staring at Vin for a second, JD finally nodded. "All right. We'll get them back and teach whoever took them that kidnapping the boys was a mistake."

Smiling slightly, Vin headed out again, following the faint tracks.

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Josiah had barely entered the town, when he was almost attacked by Nathan. Getting off his horse, he handed it to Tiny, then turned to Nathan. "What?"

"They've been taken."

"Who's been taken?"

"The boys with Ezra."

Josiah held up his hands. "Wait, what? Start from the beginning."

Taking a deep breath, the healer started. "It seems that two nights ago, Ezra was taken with the boys from the town. They were taken out of town, which no one saw this happening. Vin and JD came home, late the next day, to an empty house. They figured that the boys and Ezra were kidnapped by the ones that tried to take the boys a few weeks ago. Instead of waiting for us, they left the next morning, but were kind enough to leave us a note, telling us this. Also, in the note, they want us to stay put, and they would call if they need help."

Josiah blinked, then blinked again. Trying to digest the whole thing in one go. Finally, he spoke. "The boys and Ezra were kidnapped, Vin and JD are at least a day behind them, trying to follow where the kidnappers. They think its the same one from before, and we're supposed to stay here and twiddle our thumbs."

Nathan nodded once.

Josiah took a deep breath. "Then we stay here. We aren't trackers, we won't be able to follow them. We keep things here under control. And wait for them to call us, which they will. We make sure we're ready to go when they send for us and we make sure we have replacements for us when they call.

Growling slightly, Nathan finally took a deep breath. "Fine...we wait, but I don't like it."

Josiah smiled slightly. "I have to agree with that, and when they come back, we'll make sure that we let them know that we were not happy about being left behind."

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Arriving at the destination.

Ezra had thought that when they arrived at the ranch, the hardest part of the trip would be over. But now, he had a feeling that arriving at the destination had been the easiest part.

George swung off his horse, moving over to Ezra and untying the gambler from the horse. Then he motioned for him to get down from the horse.

Getting off his horse, Ezra petted the animal. Leaning in, he whispered to the horse. Backing away from the horse, Ezra watched as the stable hands for the ranch came close to his horse. Chaucer suddenly reared, forcing the men back. With a quick hop, the horse darted out of the ranch and back the way the group had come."

Ted moved over to the gambler. "What was that? You trying to escape?

Staring at the man, Ezra held his hands up in innocence. "I did nothing, I just have a high strung horse, and your men over there scared him . I cannot be responsible for my horse or for your men's incompetence with horses."

Ted was raising his hand. Ezra, prepared for the blow, was stunned to suddenly have two kids in front of him glaring at Ted. Chris spoke up. "Leave Uncle Ezra alone. It isn't his fault."

George started to chuckle. "Ted, leave them alone. If the horse ran, its better for us, they can't escape. He isn't worth it, anyways. The boss will take care of him in a few minutes and we won't have to worry about him. We did our jobs."

Glaring at the kids and gambler, Ted stomped away. George moved over to the small group. "I suggest you behave, Ted is a little hot headed. But the boss, he isn't going to like your smart mouth. Now, if you're done being a pain, lets go meet the boss. He has been wanting to see the kids."

Ezra glared at the man for a second. "Will you at least untie me? Its not like I can escape from here, as my horse is gone."

Eying the gambler, George finally nodded. "Since you can't escape, I'll do it. But if you try to escape, I will shoot you in front of the kids."

Ezra nodded. "I give you my word. I will not escape from anywhere you can see me."

George frowned, but nodded. "All right. Let's get going. I want to get you off my hands."

With that, George moved the small group into the ranch house. None of the four noticed the dark thunder clouds rolling in as they entered into the house.

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Vin paused for a second, and looked up at the sky. Staring at the bank of clouds that were rolling in, he turned to JD. "We might have some trouble."

Looking at the land around him, JD frowned. "What do you mean, we have a problem?"

"The clouds. There's going to be rain."

Cursing, JD looked around the area they were in. "You think we'll find them before it rains?"

Shaking his head slowly ,Vin sighed. "No, I have a feeling. the storm will hit before we even get close."

Thinking for a second, JD stated. "So, I guess we can go as far as we can, and then head to the closest town and see if we get lucky?"

Vin grinned slightly. "We'll get more then lucky. I'm sure the next town will give us a lead."

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Josiah was startled from his thoughts by Nathan, as the healer settled down next to him at the table. Putting down the full beer. Josiah had been staring at in the last half hour, he smiled. "What?"

Shrugging his shoulders, the healer sighed. "You think they're all right?"

"Yes, they have to be. Ezra will know that we're looking for them. He'll keep the boys safe."

"I hate waiting, I hate being left behind."

The older man nodded, " I feel the same way, but we will get our chance."

Snorting slightly, Nathan sighed. "How can you be so sure?"

Josiah grinned. "Like that storm that is brewing? We will not let anything get in our way of getting them back."

Nathan, thinking about the storm that was rolling in, just nodded.

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Chris looked around at the room that the three of them had been pushed into. Clinging to Uncle's Ezra's hand, he glared at the furniture and other items in the room. It reminded him of the orphanage. The items in the room might be different, and the things on the wall different, but it had that same smell and feel: the feel of someone who doesn't care and would stop at nothing for what he wants.

Shivering slightly, he turned to check on Buck. The younger boy was plastered against Ezra's leg, trying to meld to it. Catching the younger boy's eyes, Chris tired to make sure that Buck was okay.

Buck dredged up small smile. Chris grinned back. The two children drew strength from each other's gaze. They could handle what was to come. Turning as one to face the desk, they waited for the next shoe to drop. They didn't have long to wait, as the man behind the desk turned and stared down at the small group.

"Finally! Took you two idiots long enough to get the kids. But, I don't believe I asked for him."

George, the leader of the two, spoke up. "Sorry sir, but he was in the house. We figured it would be better to bring him than leave him there to follow us. You did say no killing."

"That I did. Well, now I have to figure out what to do with him. For now, we'll keep him with these two."

Chris glared at the man.

Seeing the glare, the boss smiled. "You are going to be difficult. Though, if you do anything ,that young one will take the punishment. As for your guardian there...I'll have to think what I'll do with him."

Ezra cleared his throat. "You could just let us all go. As I'm sure the boys and I don't wish to impose upon your hospitality."

The boss grinned "Where are my manners? My name is Karl Rosewood, and you are my guest until I let you go."

"I think we would prefer to be let go now."

Laughing at the gambler's comment, Karl got himself under control, spoke. "No, you don't have a choice on this. You are my guest. George, Ted, show my guests to their room. Then put some guards on the door. Tomorrow, you two are going to town for me. I have a feeling I'm going to need some supplies."

The two men nodded and pushed Ezra and the boys from the room. Chris was trailing slightly behind Ezra. He turned to glare at Karl.

Seeing this, Karl frowned. He stared at the older boy. He might have to get rid of the older boy and the "uncle". The younger one, though, could still be used.

With a small whistle, he turned back to other things. Tomorrow would be early enough to deal with the boys again. He had a few days to decide exactly who he would keep and who he would kill.

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TBC


	3. PART 3

See Part 1 for disclaimer.

Having been escorted to their room, the group of three watched as the door shut. After several long minutes, Ezra motioned for the boys to join him on the bed. "You two all right?"

"We're fine."

Having been escorted to their room, the group of three watched as the door shut. After several long minutes, Ezra motioned for the boys to join him on the bed. "You two all right?"

"We're fine."

Looking at the two, Ezra's eyes narrowed. "You sure?"

Buck moved closer to Chris. Sharing a glance with Buck, Chris spoke up. "We're fine, he doesn't scare us."

Smiling, Ezra nodded. "Good , cause he scares me."

Chris placed a hand on Ezra's arm. "Don't worry, we can take him. He isn't that scary. He just thinks he's better than us. But he isn't."

Buck piped up from the other side, "Chris is right, Uncle Ezra, we can take him, he isn't that scary."

Smiling at both boys, he nodded. "You're both right, he isn't that scary and we can take him. Though, I think we need to have a bit better plan then just beating him up.. We'll going to need to figure out how to escape here without anyone seeing us. We'll also need food and other items."

Chris and Buck grinned. "We can do that," Chris stated. "We're good at escaping from places."

Ezra grinned. "Yes you both are. So, let's get planning .I don't want to be here any longer then we have to."

With that, the two boys and Uncle started to plan their escape.

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Vin halted Peso. It was too dark to see the trail any longer. Looking over at JD, he sighed. "We have to stop."

Shaking his head, JD tried to protest. "We can't. We have to be getting closer to where they were taken."

"We don't have a choice. We start trying to do something in the dark, and we might lose the trail and then we can't find them at all."

Staring at the darkening land, JD sighed. "All right, I just want to find them. We don't even know if that storm is going to hold off."

Rubbing his hand through his hair, Vin nodded. "I know. But it won't do them any good if we get lost or injured out here. We'll have to find them tomorrow."

Finally getting off his horse, JD set about getting camp ready.

After several minutes of getting the fire started and the horses settled, he turned to the tracker. "Why would someone take the boys? They had to know that we would get them back."

Vin stopped what he was doing, and looked hard at JD. "We can ask when we find them. He is most likely a stupid idiot."

Smiling slightly, JD sighed. "You're probably right. So, what's for dinner?"

Looking at the items he had in his saddle bags, Vin shrugged his shoulders. "Potluck."

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Watching the red sunrise, Nathan couldn't help but wonder how the boys, Ezra, Vin and JD were doing. They hadn't heard anything from Vin or JD since they had gone out in search of the missing. If he hadn't taken so long in getting back, he would have been able to go with Vin and JD. Instead, he was stuck waiting for word from them.

He almost dumped his coffee he was drinking, when a voice called out. "Morning!"

"Josiah, watch it!"

With a soft chuckle, the ex-priest made his way up next to Nathan. "Jumpy are we?"

"No, just lost in thought. Heard anything?"

Looking out towards the sunrise, Josiah shook his head. "No, nothing yet. They will contact us."

Dumping the rest of his coffee out, Nathan just shook his head. "I hate this waiting around. I hate the whole not knowing what is going on."

Laying a hand on Nathan's shoulder, Josiah took a calming breath. "I know, I feel the same way, but we have to wait. We need to make sure there is a town to come back to. "

"It isn't enough."

Staring at the red sky. Josiah sighed. "It has to be enough now. Now come on. Its going to rain soon."

With one last look, Nathan nodded and followed Josiah down to the street. They had a patrol to do.

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JD was up at the first streaks of dawn. He shrugged off the exhaustion from the sleepless night. He wouldn't get a good night's sleep until he had Buck and Chris back. With a final look at his bed roll, he moved over to get the coffee started.

With that done, he moved to check on his horses. As he moved near them, he stopped and blinked. Closing his eyes for a minute, he reopened them and counted. They had gained another horse sometime during the night. Though the horse looked familiar.

After several minutes of looking at the horse, JD placed it. Calling over his shoulder to Vin, JD made his way over to the new horse. "Chaucer?"

Hearing his name, the horse's head turned to look at the person who called him.

JD let go of a breath. "It is you. Now where is your master?"

The horse just looked at JD. Vin arrived just in time to see it smiled. "Trying to get he horse to talk?"

Glaring at Vin, JD sighed. "I wasn't, I was just hoping his owner would appear out of nowhere and help."

Sighing, Vin just shook his head. "We wouldn't get that lucky. But, if the horse found us, we must be on the right track. And if he's that content, we must be close."

A small smile graced JD's face. "That's good. So, when do we head out?"

"As soon as the horses are ready. It's going to rain sometime today. If we don't hurry, we will loose the trail."

JD stared at the red tinged sky for a second. "Are you sure?"

Vin nodded, "I'm sure."

With a nod, JD got to work getting the horses ready. He didn't want to lose the trail due to the rain.

In record time, the two were on the trail. Vin followed the tracks that Chaucer had left.

Their luck seem to hold,as the threatened storm seemed to hold off for them. They were able to follow the tracks until mid-afternoon.

They had just reached a small pass when the clouds decided to rip open and release all the water they were holding in one fierce thunderclap.

Within a few minutes, the two men were soaked through to their skin. Vin stopped and turned to JD. "We need to find some shelter."

JD shook his head. "No, we're near them, I can tell."

Trying to see through the pelting rain, Vin turned back to JD. "I can't track in this. We have to wait for it to stop or slow. If we go to the town, we might find out more about who could be around here or something about the boys."

Seeing the reflected frustration in Vin's face, JD finally nodded. "All right, we'll try the town."

Vin, trying to wipe the rain off his face, sighed.. "We will find them."

Taking a long look at the the valley, the two men headed towards the closest town.

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The reverberating growl of the thunder drew Ezra out of his light nap. Blinking, he looked around the darkened room, trying to find what was missing.

It didn't take long for him to realize what he was missing. Chris and Buck weren't in the room. Fighting down his panic, Ezra got off the bed. Heading towards the door of the room, he was about to try and open it when a slight hissing sound made him stop.

Turning around, he spotted Chris and Buck. They were both soaking wet. Staring at the two boys, Ezra moved over them. "What did you two do?"

Chris grinned, "You were sleeping, so we went and checked out the house."

Ezra frowned. "You could have been caught."

Bouncing over to his uncle, Buck wrapped his arms around Ezra's leg. "We were careful. They weren't going to see us. Chris is good about sneaking around."

Looking over at the older boy, Ezra raised an eyebrow. Chris just shrugged his shoulders. "I had to get good at it."

Letting that comment go for a moment, Ezra made a note to talk to the others about the tidbit of information.

"Did you find anything interesting?"

"They have lots of horses in the stables."

Looking over at Buck, the gambler smiled. "That is good to know. Anything else?"

Chris nodded. "There aren't that many men. There's nothing around here besides the ranch, though I overheard the guards talk about a town that isn't too far away. It has a saloon and hotel. The men go there on their day off. Also, its an easy climb out the window and down to the ground."

Listening to Chris, Ezra was amazed at the amount of information the young boy was able to tell him. "That's good. Very good information . Just remember - next time you decide to go and check out things, let me know."

Nodding, Chris frowned. "We did try to wake you. But you wouldn't wake up."

Ezra leaned down and gave Chris and Buck a quick hug. "Thank you for trying. Next time though, jump on me if you have to - but get me to wake up."

Chris and Buck looked up at Ezra and nodded. "We will."

Ezra nodded. Before he could say anything, a loud knock sounded on the door.

Sharing a look with the boys, Buck and Chris moved behind Ezra. With a grin to both boys, Ezra called out. "You may enter."

One of Kurt's men entered into the room. "You need to come with me. The boys can stay here. The boss wants to talk to you."

Ezra frowned. "I don't want to leave the boys alone."

The man smiled. "The boys will be fine. They'll be locked in here. You do not want to make the boss mad."

Sharing a look with the boys to behave. Ezra finally nodded. "All right. I'll go, but if anything happens to the boys..."

"Nothing will happen to them. Now come."

Ezra took one last look at the boys, then headed out of the room.

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As the door shut, Chris turned to Buck. "We did good. You okay?"

"Yes, the thunder isn't that bad. Do you think Uncle Ez is mad at us?"

"Naw, we did a good thing. Besides, we needed to know the layout of this place. I have a feeling that we will need to escape. I don't like this Karl. He looks at us wrong."

Buck nodded. "I don't like him, either. If we escape, what are we going to need?"

Chris was silent for a long second. "Same things at last time. Food, blankets and first aid stuff. Anything else we can scrounge or find."

Buck nodded. "Can we sneak out the window for some of the stuff?"

Staring at the window, Chris finally nodded. "One at a time. The other will make noise in here, like there are two of us in here."

Nodding in agreement, the four year-old paused and looked at Chris for a long moment. "Is Uncle Ez going to be okay with the bad man?"

"Yep, he can take the guy. Now, we better get to work. I have a feeling that we'll need to be ready when Uncle Ezra comes back."

With a final shared look, the two boys got back to work.

TBC


	4. Part 4

Disclaimer in part 1

Part 4:

Entering back into the office, Ezra took a longer moment to look around the place. Shaking his head slightly, he couldn't believe how gaudy the room was. Ezra never thought he would see someone who misunderstood how to show power.

Clearing his throat, he turned to the man who wanted to see him. "You have me down here. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Karl stared at the gambler for a long minute. "You know, you should be more polite to the person that holds your life in his hands."

Ezra moved over to the chair. "You might hold my life in your hands, but you won't kill me yet. You wouldn't have dragged me all the way here to just to kill me."

Karl smiled slightly, "You are right. My men would have killed you. They still might."

"Then, I should ask, why am I still alive?"

Karl leaned back into his chair, "You're alive right now because it is keeping the boys calm and behaved. The minute that I see the boys don't need you, you will be gone."

Ezra smiled. "That's nice, but why did you take the boys?"

"I need the boys, at least the youngest one. He looks like he can still be molded. The older boy might be too stubborn to be of use."

"What do you mean, too stubborn?..." Ezra trailed off as the reason why hit him. "You don't care about the boy. You just want him to use him in your plans and as a fixture to show that you're a family man. You don't even care, you want a puppet. And you think Buck would be a good one."

Shrugging his shoulders, Karl nodded. "Well, yes. I'm not going to lie. That would be the main reason I want one. I could use him, find out what my rivals are doing. I could show that I"m a family man. I don't plan to stay here forever in this backwater. I want true power. And the next stop is to show how much of a family man I am. And what a better way then taking in a orphan?"

"They aren't orphans. They have us."

Karl stared at the gambler. "You think your friends are family to them? I know of all your reputations. How better do you think those boys would be better in a stable home, than with some random men thrown together to protect a town."

Ezra stifled the growl that threaten to explode from his throat. "I see. You really don't care about anyone but yourself, do you?"

"Why should I care about anyone but myself? My men are loyal because I pay them well, and I keep them happy. The other servants here, I keep alive and safe. I don't need them to like me, just need them to be loyal and as long as the money keeps flowing, they're happy."

"You aren't getting the boys. You aren't going to even touch them."

Karl leaned over his desk, "I don't think you understand. I get what ever I want. No one stops me. You and your puny friends won't stop me. It would be better for your health if you leave the boys to me, and forget you ever knew them."

"That is never going to happen."

"I thought that might be your opinion, so I suggest you go back to the boys and say goodbye. You aren't going to be alive by the end of the night. You are going to die in an escape attempt. Guards!"

Two men busted into the room. With a few short phrases, Karl had the guards taking Ezra back to the room where the boys were located.

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As the door flew open, Ezra was able to see the surprise look from the boys, when he was pushed rather roughly through the door. (surprised...boys when)

Landing on the floor, he grunted. The guards peered in, and glared at the two boys, making sure that nothing was going on in the room. Once satisfied, the guards shut the door, leaving the man and boys alone.

The minute the door was shut, Buck and Chris raced to their Uncle. "Are you all right?"

Taking a minute to check himself, Ezra nodded "I'm fine, just a little roughed up."

The two boys shared a look, not sure if they should believe their uncle. Finally, Chris nodded. "If you say so. What did the bad man say?"

Staring at the two boys, Ezra took a deep breath. "Nothing good. We need to escape."

The boys shared a smile. Chris spoke up. "We thought that might be the case. We've been preparing."

With this cue, Buck ran to the bed, and started to pull supplies from underneath it. There was enough food for all three for a few days, three slickers, some flint, three canteens filled with water, and a rather large knife.

Ezra looked at the material. Stunned speechless, he had to ask. "How...When?"

Beaming, Chris answered the dumbfounded Southerner. "We did it. It wasn't that hard. The men here don't pay enough attention to us. We took turns climbing out the window and picking up the stuff that they wouldn't miss while one of us made enough noise up here so they thought that both of us were up here."

Ezra stared at the two boys. He had forgotten that, even though the boys were very young, that they had escaped from a place before. "Good, then we can use these to escape. Once it is dark, we're going to slip out the window and try to get to the nearest town. Though, we're going to take the long way around. I want us to head away from the town, then we'll make a big circle to reach the town. Hopefully, between the darkness, the rain and the route we'll take will throw this group off our trail."

The two boys nodded. Looking at the two boys for a long moment, Ezra grinned. "Don't worry, it'll work."

Buck grinned. "Good. I don't like this place."

"I have to agree with you on that, Master Buck."

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As the sun was setting, not that it was seen through the dark storm clouds, JD walked out of a telegraph office. He has just sent a wire for Nathan and Josiah to join them at the town of Aeaea. With a sigh, he looked up at the pouring rain ,wanting to curse their luck. With a look down the street, JD headed towards the saloon where he was to meet up with Vin.

Reaching the saloon, JD pushed open the doors, and entered into room, letting the warmth and noise wash over him for a second. Taking a minute to get his bearings, he spotted Vin sitting in a corner.

Weaving his way through the crowd, he settled down across from Vin, accepting the beer that the tracker had slide over to him. "I sent the telegram to them. They said they should be here in a day or so. I still think we should be out there."

Vin stared into his beer for a second. "I know. I agree with you, but we can't. The rain destroyed what trail there was to follow. Wandering out there in the storm, without knowing where we would be going, would be a death sentence. We may be lucky and find some information here. Besides, once Josiah and Nathan get here, we'll have two more people to help search."

Taking a sip of the beer, JD sighed. "You think they're okay?"

"Yes, Ezra would make sure nothing happens to them. Chris and Buck will make sure that nothing happens to Ezra. We have to have faith in them."

After a long moment in thought. JD nodded. "I guess you're right. Though I still wish we had found them."

"I have to agree with you there."

The two men fell silent after that, each lost in their own thoughts, listening to the different conversations in the saloon.

After awhile, JD perked up. "Vin, look at the two men over there. I think I've seen them before."

Glancing over towards the the table discreetly, Vin looked at the two men. "I don't remember ever seeing them."

"No, I've seen them before. I just can't remember where."

Taking a sip of his drink, the tracker shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it will come to you. We've seen a lot of people. Now, come on. We need to get something to eat and some rest if we're going to be up early, when the rain stops, to go looking for Ezra and the boys."

JD took the last swallow of his his drink. "Let's go, then. Maybe it will come to me, but right now the boys are more important. Hopefully, we'll find them tomorrow."

With that the two left the saloon to find something hot to eat and get some rest before morning.

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"Ted, aren't those two-?"

"Yes, they are. We'll have to let the boss know that they're around, but not till after tomorrow. They aren't going anywhere and they won't find the ranch. Besides, we don't get into town that often."

George grinned. "That sounds like a good idea. Right - they aren't going anywhere and besides, it's raining outside."

Ted nodded. He knew that the boss would want to know, but a delay wouldn't hurt anything. Besides, he was starting to get a feeling that he should leave Karl's employment. Stealing the kids was not something that sat very well with him.

"We will head out tomorrow. Once the rain stops. Till then, let's enjoy tonight. Tomorrow we will ride."

Ted nodded in agreement with George. Tomorrow would be soon enough.

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Nathan was almost done packing his saddles. Josiah was standing there smiling slightly. "You need to breathe, Nathan. Rushing around like that is only going to get yourself hurt."

The healer turned to the ex-priest. "We need to meet up with JD and Vin. They said to hurry. It's going to take a day to get there anyhow, and that's only cause we know where we are going. I have to make sure I have everything! What if the boys are hurt?"

Moving over to Nathan, Josiah laid his hands on Nathan's shoulders. "Calm down. We can't leave until morning. We have to at least wait for the sheriff deputy to arrive from Eagle Bend. He won't get here till late tonight. You need to take a deep breath."

Pausing in what he was doing, Nathan took several deep breaths. "You're right. Its just..."

Josiah nodded. "I know. I hate sitting and waiting as well. Though now that we have been called into action, we need to make sure we don't rush in and forget anything. We also need to get some sleep."

Nathan stared at Josiah for a long moment. Finally, he dropped to a nearby chair, pushing the drying herbs that were on a table slightly. "You're right, I need to slow down. It's just that I'm worried about the boys."

"We all are. But remember Chris and Buck know how to take care of each other and how to handle themselves in a dangerous situation. With Ezra there to help them, I'm sure they will be fine."

"You're right. Though, whoever took them will regret it."

A wide smile graced Josiah's face. "Yes, whoever took them, will regret it. Especially after we've talked to them."

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	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

Please see part 1 for disclaimer.

Ezra watched as their dinner plates were removed from the room. The guard sneered at the gambler. "Hoped you like your last dinner. Now don't go anywhere. The boss wants us to lock you in for the night, though the morning will be bad for you."

Ezra said nothing, not wanting to egg the guard on. He just wanted the man to leave.

With a last sneer, the man turned and walked out the door. Ezra listened as several bolts were thrown. As the guard walked away, he turned towards the boys. "We'll be leaving soon. It'll be dark. Get everything ready."

The two boys grinned and rushed around the room, gathering the supplies that they had hidden. In a few minutes everything was in a pile on the bed.

Looking at the supplies, Ezra smiled, still in disbelief about how much the boys were able to scourge up. Using the blankets on the bed, Ezra made three packages. "All right, we're ready. We'll give it an hour or so to let the it get darker, then we'll climb out the window and head out. We'll go as far as we can, find somewhere to lay low for the rest of the night, then head towards the town."

Both boys nodded. Chris piped up. "We're ready. We won't let you down."

Kneeling down so he was at the same level as the boys, Ezra smiled slightly. "I know that. You two would never let any of us down, ever. I just hope that I didn't let you down by allowing you to be kidnapped."

Buck and Chris each laid a hand on Ezra. Staring into the gambler's eyes, Chris spoke softly. "Its not your fault. Besides, you are getting us out of it. Without you having come with us, we wouldn't be able to leave. We believe in you."

Buck echoed Chris's thoughts. "We know you'll save us and protect us from the bad men."

Clearing his throat of the emotion that had welled up from Chris's and Buck's faith in him he nodded. "You're both right. Now, lets get ready. We need to leave soon."

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Darkness had fallen. The window to the room that the kidnapped people was in slowly opened. A head popped out from the window to look around to see if there was anyone around. After several minutes, the head moved back into the window.

Then, several figures were seen crawling out of the window and down to the ground. The minute that the last person hit the ground, the group of three seemed to blend into the shadows of the night.

None of the guards saw the shadows move slowly through the compound. The three shadows escaped the confines of the ranch. Reaching the last property marker, the shadows paused. The larger shadow looked around for a minute, then started to head away from the road to the town.

In almost no time, the three shadows seemed to disappear in the darkness as if they were never there to start with. (disappear into the)

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Ezra didn't take a deep breath until they were a mile away from the ranch. Taking a breath, he looked around the area, hoping to see the darker shadow of a cave or overhang that the three could rest for the rest of the night.

The southerner was startled when Chris tugged on his coat. "Uncle, there's a place we can rest over there."

Ezra stopped and turned to follow where Chris was pointing. "It's just a bush."

Shaking his head, Chris spoke up. "It isn't. Da taught me about the bushes there. The shadows are right for a cave to be hidden by it. We can stay there."

Not quite believing Chris had spotted all of that through the drizzle, but more than willing to look, Ezra walked over. He pushed the bush aside and saw the cave. Shaking his head in disbelief, he motioned the boys to join him.

In a few seconds, the group was situated behind the bushes in a small cave. No one would be able to see the small group, even if they went by the bush.

Looking at the two boys, he could see that how tired they were. "You two need some sleep. I don't want to light a fire yet. I'll keep watch for a few hours."

Buck frowned. "But you need sleep."

Smiling at the younger boy, he replied. "I know, but I can go without more sleep than you. Besides, we are going to be walking for awhile tomorrow. I think that you two need the sleep more."

Eying his Uncle for a long second, Chris nodded. "All right, but wake us up if you need to."

"I will."

The boys nodded and curled up next to Ezra. They both fell quickly into an exhausted sleep.

Ezra pulled both boys close to him. The night air was cold, and their only protection was the clothes on their backs and their body heat, keeping them warm against the night.

Looking down at the two sleeping boys, Ezra shifted slowly. He couldn't help but wonder how he had gotten into the position of making sure that the two small boys were safe from the men that had taken them.

If anyone had asked if he would ever be making sure two boys were safe, he would have laughed. He never saw himself out of the comfort of a saloon with a poker game.

With a shake of his head, he settled himself. He had a job and that was to watch the boys while they sleep. With that, he kept an eye out for anyone trying to follow them.

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Just as the sun was rising above the horizon, there were two men already on horses, traveling away from the town for the day. "Do you think that we'll find them today?"

Looking over at the younger man, Vin shrugged his shoulders. "Knowing Ezra and the boys, they'll find us first."

Grinning slightly at the thought, JD stared out in front of him for a second. "I wouldn't put it past them. Though, I wish if they were going to do it, they would do it sooner, rather than later."

Nodding in agreement, Vin nudged his horse a little faster. "I overheard some talk the night before about a ranch house out here by itself. Figured that would be a good place to start."

JD nodded, nudging his horse faster, "When I find the guys who took them, they're going to wish that they hadn't."

"You'll have lots of help with that. Especially since Josiah and Nathan should be arriving tonight. We'll find them."

Looking out at the land they had to search, JD smiled. "Then, I guess we should get started."

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"I think the horses need a break."

Looking back at Josiah, Nathan sighed. "I guess we have been pushing them."

"We've been going since before sun up. We won't help anyone if we get there with the horses exhausted."

Stopping, Nathan turned to Josiah. "How can you be so calm about this? They've been missing for a few days! We have no clue if they're all right!"

Josiah sighed. " I want to get there as badly as you do, but it won't do the boys any good if we get there and we can't do anything. I wish I had gotten back earlier, but it didn't happen. And getting mad isn't going to do anything."

"You're right, but I'm worried."

Laying a hand on Nathan's shoulder, he smiled slightly. "I am, too. But getting there able to still function will be important."

With a deep breath in and then out, the healer nodded. "All right. I'll slow down."

"Good man. Now, I think the horses have rested enough. I think we need to get going again."

Josiah stated as he got his horse moving.

With a slight grin, Nathan urged his horse forward.

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Ezra could feel someone poking him,and he just wished they would leave him alone. He just wanted five more minutes or half a day, whichever one he could have. Though it seemed that the person that was poking him didn't care. With a great groan, he poked open his eyes and blinked several times as the blob of a shape that was poking him resolved itself into Buck. Clearing his throat, he spoke up. "Stop poking."

Buck paused in his poking and smiled. "You're awake. Chris said it's time for you to get up, cause Uncle Nate says you shouldn't sleep that long after getting hurt."

Ezra sighed as he pushed himself into a sitting position, ignoring his now pounding head. He had hoped that it would have disappeared. The fact that it hadn't worried him slightly. With a shake of his head, though, he looked at the two boys. "Are you boys okay?"

Chris turned away from his lookout for a minute. "Yes. We woke up, ate some and then took watch. No one has gotten close to us all day. We were just waiting for you to wake up."

Smiling at the two boys, Ezra slowly stood up. Weaving a bit, he caught his balance and looked around. The cave that Chris had found was a better hiding place than they had first thought. They could easily see anything that would come towards the cave, yet they wouldn't be seen.

Looking up at the sky, he frowned. "You should have woken me sooner. It's already mid-day."

Buck grinned, "We thought about it, but you needed the sleep. Besides, we couldn't go anywhere, anyhow. There were a lot of people out there."

"They didn't see us?"

"Nope, they didn't see us. We were quiet." Chris stated.

"Good. So, are you two ready to head out?"

Chris looking over at Buck and, receiving a nod from Buck, Chris nodded. Ezra smiled. "Good. I think it's time we see if we can find my horse."

With that, the group gathered their supplies and, after one more look around, they started to head out towards the town that they knew was out there.

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Rubbing his eyes, Vin sighed. They'd been out since before dawn. Now it was nearing dusk, and they still hadn't had any luck. With a deep breath, he turned to JD. "You think we'll find them? We've been wandering around looking for them for the last few hours. We found the ranch but not them."

"We'll find them. You know we will."

Staring at JD for a long second, Vin finally nodded, "You're right. We'll find them. Though, if we don't spot them soon, we're going to have to try this tomorrow."

Staring at the sun, JD frowned. "We'll find them soon. I know it. I don't think I could do this for another day."

Vin didn't respond to JD's statement. JD looked over at Vin, who was staring off into the distance. Finally, Vin nudged his horse forward. "Vin what are you doing?"

"I think I found our missing."

Looking off in the direction that Vin had been looking at, JD saw what Vin had seen. Nudging his horse into motion, he followed Vin. They both moved their horses faster as they recognized who they were seeing.

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TBC


	6. Chapter 6

See Part one for Disclaimer :

Part 6

Ezra looked up, surveying the land in front of them. They had been walking around since they had left their cave. They had ducked men on horses several times. When he spotted the two horses on the horizon, he was about to dive and hide again with the boys.

Just as the two horsemen started towards the group, and Ezra was looking for cover, Buck piped up. "Its Da and Vin."

Ezra frowned. "Are you sure?"

Chris backed up Buck's shout. "Yes, it is! Its Da and JD! They found us!"

Standing where he was, it took a few more minutes for Ezra to recognize the two men. With a sigh of relief, Ezra waited with the boys.

As Vin and JD reined in their horses next to the group, Ezra was rather amazed that Buck and Chris waited for the two men to dismount and head towards them before they darted to the two men.

The yelps of the boys calling to their dads, and almost barreling over the two men, made Ezra almost burst into laughter.

After several minutes, the reunion quieted down. Buck's voice spoke up. "Uncle Ezra is hurt. He got knocked out."

JD turned to Ezra, frowning. "How bad?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Ezra smiled. "It isn't that bad. It was when they first took us. It has faded to just a headache."

Buck and Chris, from the arms of their dads, both piped up at the same time. "He was unconscious for hours and its a bad headache. He doesn't like looking into the sun."

Ezra stared at the two boys. "How?"

Chris grinned. "We're observant and Uncle Nate told us to watch for these sort of things, cause people don't always say when they're hurt."

Three men shared a look. At least now they know how Nathan always know they did something. He'd turned the boys into spies on their health. Vin broke the silence. "We should head back to town. Josiah and Nathan should be there by now."

Ezra sighed. "Oh, Joy."

Vin grinned. "Don't worry, Nathan won't be too rough with you."

Ezra glared at the comment. "Very funny. So, who do I get to ride with?"

Buck piped up. "You can ride with Da and me."

Vin grinned. "Sounds good. You up to it?"

With a sigh, Ezra nodded. "You could have brought my horse with you."

Snickering, JD shook his head. "Your horse is more prickly than you in the morning. We like our lives."

"He isn't that bad. He just knows that getting up before dawn is bad."

JD got up on his horse with Buck in front of him. " Like horse, like owner. So, do you want a ride, or would you rather walk?"

Mumbling something about friends and why did he want them again, Ezra got on JD's horse. "I'm ready. Let's get away from here."

With a grin. Vin made sure Chris was settled on his horse, and the group headed back to town.

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As the last rays of the sun disappeared into the dark night, two men rode into Aeaea, dropping their horses in the stable. As they settled their horses, they spotted Ezra's horse. Walking over, Nathan petted Chaucer. "We at least know they'll be coming back."

Josiah shook his head. " You worry too much, Nate. We just need to wait for them to come back."

Before Nathan could say anything, the two men heard voices. Sharing a look, they both recognized the voices. Moving to the entrance of the livery, Nathan and Josiah released a held breath as they saw that everyone looked fine.

Buck turned and spotted the two. Rushing towards the two Uncles, Buck alerted the rest of them to them. "Uncle Josiah and Uncle Nathan. You're here."

Picking up Buck, Nathan grinned. "Are you okay?"

"Yep, so is Chris, Uncle Ez got hit over the head and was unconscious and he still has a slight headache."

"Yes, we've all learned that you've trained the boys to spot and tell on our injures." Ezra snarked at Nathan.

The healer just shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't matter if you know or not. You can't hide it from those two."

The two boys grinned at the praise. Josiah chuckled, "Well, I think both of Nathan's little spies need to get something to eat and a bath."

Chris and Buck turned to look at their Da's and Uncles. Chris was the first to chirp up. "But we don't need one!"

Vin grinned. "Yes, you two do. I can't tell where the dirt stops and you start."

The two boys shared a look, then both let out a long suffering sigh. Buck looked up at JD, "If we have to."

JD grinned, "Puppy dog eyes aren't going to work. Now let's get to the bath house. We have some clothes for you both in our saddlebags, and we'll let Nate check you all over."

Both boys turned towards their Uncles, looking for help. Meeting chuckles, the boys allowed themselves to be taken off to the bath house.

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Later that night, while the boys were tucked into a bed sleeping, Vin turned to Ezra. "You want to let us know what this is all about?"

Ezra shuffled the cards in his hands for a moment longer. Then, with a sigh, he started his tale. "Have any of you heard of Karl Rosewood?"

JD nodded. "Yes, he's supposed to be a big time rancher. He wants more power. He isn't just happy to have the biggest ranch in the territory . What does he have to do anything?"

"He wants the boys, or at least Buck, now. It seems that Chris is a little too headstrong and stubborn for him to mold into what he wanted."

Josiah unleashed a slight breath. "An heir?"

Ezra shook his head. "Worse. A play toy. Something to bring out to show his business partners how much of a kind hearted man he is. He just wants a boy he can make into the perfect sales point, and use to seal deals."

The soft growls of displeasure from the other men made Ezra smile. "Yes, those were my feelings. We need to take the man down. He isn't going to stop until he has Buck."

Getting up to look at the two sleeping boys, Vin finally turned back to the other men. "We have to stop him. If Ezra's right, then we need to figure out a way to get him in jail."

JD sighed. "We have him for kidnapping."

Nathan nodded. "That's good, but how are we going to get to him? I'm going to assume that he has guards and hired guns."

Ezra shook his head. "I don't think we're going to have to worry about those hired guns or guards, I have a feeling that they will come looking for us. Karl is not used to having his things taken from him."

Ezra spat out.

The rest of the men fell quiet for a long moment. JD, finally spoke up. "If you're right, then they'll attack us in the town. Try to take Buck before we can leave."

Vin grinned rather wolfishly. "Then if that's the case, we should plan to receive them. Wouldn't want them to feel that we don't like visitors."

Josiah nodded. "I take it you have a plan."

"Yes, I have one. He's after the boys, so all we have to do is keep them away from them until we can get to Karl."

Leaning forward, the others listened to the outline to Vin's plan.

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Dawn was breaking and two pairs of eyes, one pair hazel and one pair dark blue, stared at two sleeping men. Finally, one of the men started to stir. A lone blue eye slowly opened, then - with a frown - the other eye soon joined it. "Boys, you okay?"

Chris spoke up, "You're here."

"Yes, you thought we were a dream or something?"

Buck shrugged his shoulders. "We weren't for sure."

Sitting up, Vin pulled both boys into a hug. "We're here and we aren't leaving."

Both boys clung to Vin for a few seconds, then they both started to squirm. With a grin, Vin let them go. "You two better now?"

Both boys nodded. Chris piped up. "Yes, can we have breakfast?"

Grinning, Vin reached out and ruffled Chirs's hair. "Lets see what we can find. Maybe we can bring back food for everyone."

With nods from each of the boys, Vin got ready to go. Just as the three were leaving the room, JD spoke up. "Where are you three going?"

Buck grinned. "We're getting food."

JD grinned. "Need another hand?"

Both boys bounced slightly, "Please?"

Vin grinned. "Hurry up, I don't want to wake up the other three."

Very quickly, JD was ready to go. The rest of the men stayed sleeping. Slipping out, the four went to the local hotel and grabbed breakfast.

On the way back to the hotel, Buck looked up at JD. "Da, can we go home now?"

JD looked down at Buck. "Soon, we just have to make sure that the bad guy doesn't come back after you."

Buck was quiet for a few seconds. "None of you will get hurt?"

JD stopped and looked down at Buck. "We will do our best not to get hurt. But we have to make sure that you two will be safe."

"But none of you will get hurt?"

JD sighed. "We will do our best. But you and Chris have to stay safe."

Buck smiled. "We can do that."

JD nodded. "Good. Now, I think we need to get the rest of the breakfast back to the rest of the guys."

With a nod from the young boy, the two joined Vin and Chris, who had been waiting slightly in front of them.

As they rejoined Vin and Chris, the group made their way back to their rooms.

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After breakfast and cleaning up, the boys - after checking on Ezra and making sure Nate said that he would be okay - drifted back to staying close to each of their Da's.

The other men shared a look. They needed to get the boys back home. This wasn't good. The boys weren't getting more then an inch away from Vin or JD, and when they did, they were clinging to one of the others. Josiah eyed the time, turning to the boys, he spoke up.

"Chris and Buck, can you both come over here?"

The two boys, frowned, but came over. Chris shared a look with Buck, then asked. "What do you need, Uncle Josiah?"

"You do know we're going to have to leave you two here for a short time?"

Chris sighed. "Yes, so you can make sure the bad men don't come back. But we don't like it. You could get hurt."

Josiah grinned, "Yes, but we don't get hurt. It's you two I'm worried about. You could get hurt."

Chris and Buck both shook their heads, "We can't get hurt. We aren't going to be fighting. We'll be hiding. They won't find us."

"That's good, I want you two to promise that you two will stay in this room. No matter what you hear."

The two boys shared a look. After several seconds, Chris looked at Josiah. "We promise, we will stay in here. No matter what."

Josiah nodded solemnly. "Good, now we have to get going. You two stay here. Be very quiet."

The two boys nodded, giving each of the men hugs. When the last of the men left the room, and the door shut, Chris turned to Buck. "I need your help. We need to move the dresser in front of the door. Then, we get ready."

Looking away from the closed door, Buck nodded. "Anything else we have to do?"

Chris shook his head. "That should be enough."

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	7. Chapter 7

See Part one for Disclaimer: Part 7

Time moved to noon, the town seemed to have fallen quiet. The towns people of Aeaea had disappeared. They knew what was about to happen. Karl Rosewood had let out his men to find what he considered his property. No one wanted to get involved.  
Two men stepped out, halting the group of men. Vin shared a glance with JD. Seeing the agreement from JD, Vin shouted at the group. "Leave now, and forget the boys! They don't belong to you! And you may live."  
The lead man snorted. "There's just two of you. Our boss will have what's his."  
JD shook his head. "They aren't yours. You can't have them. Just go home."  
The leader of the gunfighters laughed. "Don't know why you care. The boss said if you want you can have the older one, then. Just give us the young one."

JD growled softly. Vin glared at the men. "I don't think so. You aren't getting either of them. Now leave on your horses or in some boxes. Your choice."  
The gunman smiled. "I think you should ask yourself that question."  
With those words, the gunman went for his gun. His hand never reached it. A single shot was heard, and the man crumpled to the ground.  
There was silence for a moment, then JD and Vin split up and dived towards preset up barricades that were ready for them.  
Reaching the protection of the barricades, they both started firing. Soon, the air was filled with gunfire and smoke.

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When the dresser that was against the door was suddenly push out of the way as the door flew open, Chris and Buck were caught unprepared.  
Before either of them could do anything, a grinning George came into the room. Chris and Buck backed away, Chris putting himself in front of Buck. "Leave us alone."  
George shook his head and, pulling out his gun, he spoke. "Get away from the small one there. The boss wants him and I don't mind going through you to get him."  
Before Chris could protest, the man reached and grabbed Buck, dragging him from behind Chris.  
Moving towards the man, Chris stopped when the man's gun waved towards him. "Don't move, or I'll shoot you. The boss only wants the young one."  
Glaring at the man, Chris shouted. "Let him go!"  
The man holding Buck grinned at the eight year old. "Or what? Your guardians are busy with the guys outside."  
Chris shared a look with Buck, with a slight grin. Buck opened his mouth, and bit down with all of his teeth on the hand that was holding him.  
The resulting action of let go of Buck and screamed at the sudden pain, giving Chris enough time to hit the man in the head with the chamberpot, knocking the man out cold.  
The two boys shared a smile, though the smiles disappeared as more shots could be heard outside in the street.  
The two boys forgot about the unconscious man and headed towards the window, hoping to get an idea on how the fight was going.  
Neither boy remembered about the open door. Focused on the window outside, they didn't hear Ted come into the room. Stepping over the unconscious George, he moved silently to the boys. Pulling out two soaked cloths from his pocket, he placed the cloths over the two boys' mouths from behind.  
The two boys looked at each other in shock then started to squirm, trying to get out from under the cloth on their face.  
Ted, though, didn't let up until the boys went limp. Smiling, Ted let Chris fall to the floor, then picked up Buck.  
Grinning, he moved over to George and kicked him in the ribs until George woke up. "Get up! We got the boy, and we need to leave. The boss won't be happy if he doesn't get his package."  
Wincing as he pulled himself up into a standing position, George growled. "Let me kill the older one."  
Ted shook his head. "We don't have time. If you hadn't let's them get the drop on you, I wouldn't have had to get up and follow you. Now lets go."  
Growling, George followed Ted out, promising that he would get revenge later.  
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JD fired, hitting one more gunman. Looking around, he heard Ezra curse then a shot from the gambler's gun. Spotting Vin up on a roof, JD had to wonder how the tracker had gotten up there during the fire fight.  
Spotting another bad guy, he went to fire on him when he heard the bark of Josiah's gun, taking the man down.  
Hearing a grunt behind him, he turned quickly to see one of Nathan's knives jutting from the man's throat.  
Taking a deep breath on how close that was, JD looked around for another target, but the town had fallen silent.  
Vin appeared from where he had been firing from the rooftops. "Its all clear. We got them all."  
The group slowly moved out from their covers, Nathan looked around at the group. Spotting Ezra holding his arm, the healer headed over. "Get shot?"  
"Now, why would you think I would be hurt? I'm perfectly fine."  
Shaking his head, Nathan pushed Ezra's hand away from the arm. "You're bleeding. That isn't 'I'm perfectly fine'."  
"It's a flesh wound."  
Rolling his eyes, Nathan ignored the gambler's protest and started to poke around the wound. Shaking his head, the healer mumbled something about when did everyone think they became a healer when they were hurt.  
"You're lucky, it isn't bad. And it is a flesh wound, which seemed to decide to take out a huge chuck of your arm. It will need stitches."  
Ezra rolled his eyes. "Can we do that after we check the boys?"  
After a second, Nathan nodded. "Fine, but we will take care of it."  
Nodding, Ezra and Nathan joined the other three as they moved towards the hotel.  
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	8. Chapter 8

See Part one for Disclaimer  
Part 8

Vin, in the lead, spotted the broken door. Fear churning in his gut, he ignored the others' shouts as he suddenly raced into the room.  
Spotting the unconscious boy in the room, Vin rushed over to Chris while screaming over his shoulder. "Nathan!"  
Nathan pushed past the rest of the group and darted into the room. "What?"  
"It's Chris."  
Moving over to the limp boy, Nathan took a deep breath. Kneeling next to the body, he was happy to see that the boy was still breathing. Moving his hands over the boy, he leaned down slightly. "He's unconscious. It doesn't look like he is hurt. There's no bruises or anything."  
Spotting something from the corner of his eye, he noticed a piece of cloth. Reaching out, he picked it up and sniffed it.  
Making a disgusted look, Nathan sighed. "He's been knocked unconscious with chloroform. He's breathing fine. He'll wake up." Taking out a vial from his medicine pouch, Nathan opened it and waved it under Chris's nose.  
The young boy's eyes shot open and he struggled to get away from the smell. Vin stopped Chris's instinctive flight. "Chris, its all right, it's just us."  
Blinking, Chris looked around. Not spotting the person he was looking for, he turned to Vin. "Da? Where's Buck...He must have taken him! Da!"  
The five men exchanged glances. Vin cleared his throat. "Chris, who took Buck?"  
Closing his eyes for a moment, Chris opened them and turned to Vin. "It was the men that kidnapped us. We knocked one down, and the other one came in and knocked us unconscious. We have to go and get Buck."  
Vin shook his head. "We're going to get Buck. Ezra will stay here and watch you."  
Two simultaneous "No!"s were shouted in the room. Vin glared at Ezra for a second, then softened the look when he turned to Chris. "Chris, you can't go. You were knocked unconscious. Ezra is hurt. Neither of you are in any shape to go after him."  
"Da, I can't stay here with Buck out there. I let him get taken by those men. I can watch out for myself."  
Vin was about to say something, when Ezra spoke up. "I'm not that hurt, I can help get Buck back. You'll need all of us."  
"What are you talking about? You're still bleeding! You aren't in any shape to come!" Nathan seemed to almost shout.  
Ezra shook his head. "You could try and leave me here, but I will just follow. And I have a feeling that Chris will join me."  
Chris, for his part, nodded. "He got kidnapped while he was with me. I want to go after him."  
Vin was about to open his mouth, when JD spoke up. "Fine. We need to get going. You and Ezra can come along ,but you stay back from the fighting with the horses."  
Vin blinked. "JD?"  
Looking over at Vin, JD sighed. "They're going to follow us. It's better that they're with us and we can make sure they don't do anything stupid. Besides, I'm tired of us splitting."  
Vin was quiet for a minute, then nodded. "All right, but Nathan needs to take care of Ezra's wound first. Then we can head out."  
With a nod of agreement, Nathan moved over to Ezra to get the arm wrapped. In a few minutes, they were ready to go.  
Vin glanced through the destroyed hotel room to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. With a final growl, he walked out, leaving the room in its state of disrepair. They wouldn't be back.  
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Ted glared at the unconscious kid that George was holding. "We should just kill him. He isn't worth the hassle."  
George shook his head. "The boss wants him alive. He stays alive."  
"You think his protectors are going to come after us?"  
George shrugged his shoulders. "If they aren't stupid, they should just cut their losses. We left the other kid with them."  
Staring at the young boy they had, Ted frowned. "The little rat is awake."  
George shrugged his shoulders. "He isn't trying to escape, is he?"  
"Naw, he isn't moving besides his eyes."  
"Then leave him alone. We need to get to the boss. Then he's out of our hair."  
Sneering at Buck, Ted looked up at George. "Good, I'm tired of being a messenger boy."  
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The five men and boy were riding hard, trying to catch up with Buck and his kidnappers. "It'll be okay, Chris. We'll get the men that took Buck, and we'll get him back."  
Chris sighed. "Are you sure?"  
Ezra was quiet for a long moment, then spoke up. "Chris, it wasn't your fault. You did everything that you could. You can't win everything, but you don't have to worry. We're going to get him back, We won't let them take Buck away from us."  
"How can you be so sure?"  
Smiling slightly, the Southern spoke softly. "We don't leave family behind. Karl will never know what hit him."  
Chris was silent for a long moment. "I don't care what happens to Karl, but I want Buck back."  
Ezra nodded. "So do I."

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Karl watched as Ted and George arrived at the ranch. "Took you two long enough. Are they following you?"  
George shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't seen them. We got the boy and left. Thought the rest were supposed to take care of the them."  
Snorting, Karl took the boy from the two men. "He's given you any problems?"  
Ted shook his head. "Naw, he's been nice and quiet. Without his brother and uncle, he hasn't been a problem."  
"Good, we need to get moving. Pack some things. I have a feeling that we need to disappear for a few weeks. We need for things to calm down."  
Ted and George nodded. They both headed for the house to gather supplies and other things they would need for some time away.  
Karl looked down at the frightened boy. "You have cost me more then I wanted to spend. You have better be worth it, or I'll throw what remains of you when I'm done to the pigs."  
The look of fear and small whimper that escaped from the small boy made Karl smile. "Good. We understand each other. Now come on, I need to get some papers."  
Throwing the boy over his shoulder, Karl headed for his study. He had some things he needed to get done before they left.

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Spotting the ranch house, the group slowed down. Dismounting from his horse, Vin turned to JD and the rest of the guys. "They're still here. Ezra, stay with Chris. The rest of us will get Buck back."  
Ezra opened his mouth to protest when JD spoke up. "No, Ezra. You need to stay here and watch out. You're hurt, you won't be in any condition to shoot. Watch our back trail and make sure no one tries to sneak up on us."  
Ezra frowned. "But..."  
Nathan shook his head. "Ezra, that isn't a flesh wound. You do too much and you can hurt that arm more. I expect Chris to watch and make sure you don't do anything stupid."  
Chris nodded. "I can do that."  
Nathan nodded. "Good. We'll be back here with Buck."  
"Promise?"  
Josiah moved up to Chris, laying a hand on the boy. "Yes, we promise. Now watch Ezra. He sometimes thinks he can do the impossible."  
With a slight grin, Chris nodded. "I will."  
Vin smiled. "Good. Lets go."  
With that, the four men left Ezra and Chris behind. As the group left, Chris turned to Ezra. "Do you think we can get Buck back?"  
Ezra was silent for a long second. "Yes, we'll get Buck back. And Karl will regret trying to take him."  
Chris nodded in agreement, but he just wanted Buck back.  
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The group rode into the Ranch, surprised when no one came out to greet them. Sharing a look, they dismounted from their horses. Looking at each other, the group split up. Josiah and Nathan headed towards the barn and back of the house, while Vin and JD headed inside.  
Josiah and Nathan carefully moved around the house toward the barn. As they neared the barn, they heard voices. Sharing a glance, they moved carefully towards the barn, listening to the conversation that was happening.  
"How long do you think we'll be away?"  
"Until he thinks these men get tired of searching for this boy. Since the boy is an orphan and all, it shouldn't be long, Ted."  
A short chuckle, then Ted was speaking again. "Yeah, and I heard the boss threaten the kid that if he misbehave, he'll be thrown to the pigs after he's done with him."  
Hearing enough, Josiah and Nathan shared a look. With a nod towards Nathan, Josiah led the way into the barn. "Drop them."  
Ted and George froze for a second. Seeing the guns on them, they raised their hands, with George talking, "Look, you got the wrong people."  
Josiah and Nathan shared an amused look. Nathan moved forward. "I highly doubt that. I think you two need to keep your hands up and move away from the horses."  
Ted shook his head. "I don't think so. You need to leave."  
Josiah grinned. "I don't think so. Now keep your hands up while my companion here ties you up."  
The two men watched as Nathan approached and lowered his gun. With a shared look between them, Ted and George reached for their guns. In a blink of an eye, two shots were fired.  
TBC 


	9. Chapter 9

See part 1 for disclaimer

Part 9

JD and Vin walked into the house and moved from room to room, looking for Karl. Spotting the shut door, the two men shared a glance.

Vin motioned JD towards the door. With a nod of understanding, JD moved to stand by the door. Once the younger man was set, Vin took a deep breath, then hit the door with his foot.

At the crashing of the door, JD dived into the room, his gun at the ready, yelling, "Drop it!"

Karl, though, was ready for the two men, "I think you should be the one to drop it."

JD stood up, with Vin coming to stand behind him. "No," JD said, "I don't think so. We have you outnumber. I would say you're the one who should drop it."

Karl laughed. "I think you're forgetting someone."

As he said that, he pulled Buck into view, making sure to place the boy in front of him.

JD and Vin shared a glance, "Let him go, Karl."

JD growled. Backing away from the two men, Karl shook his head. "No, You won't try to kill me. You don't want to hit this kid, here. So back off and let me go."

Vin shook his head, "That isn't going to happen. Your two lackeys are being arrested as we speak. How do you think you are going to get out of here with Buck?"

Karl frowned. "I'll get out of here fine. You aren't going to hurt him. Besides there is only two of you. I can sneak out of here without a problem."

A voice from behind the man startled all three. "Not if my bullet gets you first."

Moving quickly so his back was to a wall, Karl stared at the newcomers. "You two. Should have known you two would show up. Can't seem to separate you and the two brats. Though, I suggest you let me go if you want this one to live to see tomorrow."

As this was going on, Buck was staring at Chris.

Chris, ignoring what was going on, smiled at Buck and then quirk an eyebrow.

Buck frowned for a second, then smiled. Glancing at Karl for a second, then back at Chris, Buck nodded once.

Smiling, Chris turned to the Southern. Getting his attention, he motioned at Buck the mimed biting. Ezra frowned for a second, then nodded.

Holding up his hand, Chris slowly counted down from five. When his hand closed into a fist, Buck acted.

Opening his mouth, he clamped his teeth down on the closest piece of skin, which happened to be Karl's arm. At the same time, two gunshots were heard.

The scream of pain, and the jerk of his arms, allowed Buck to escape the man's grasp and run to Chris and Ezra.

Vin didn't take his eyes off Karl, who was rubbing his arm and glaring at the now safe Buck. JD glanced over at Buck to make sure he was fine, then turned back to Karl. "You have no one. Now surrender, or we will shoot."

Karl glanced around, looking for a way to escape. "How do you know those shots weren't from my men?"

A deep voice answered the questions. "Because we're still alive and your two thugs are dead."

Staring at Josiah and Nathan, Karl lowered his gun and raised his hands. "I'm unarmed. Don't shoot."

"You sure you don't want to pick up your gun?"

Staring at the growling tracker, Karl paled. "No... I'm good."

Shoving his gun in his holster, JD grabbed some rope and motion for Karl to turn around. Moving closer to the man, he growled. "Please, make a move."

Unfortunately, Karl seemed to realize that if he wanted to live a little longer, it was wiser not to try anything.

Once Karl's hands were tied behind him, JD turned him around and shoved him to the ground. "Stay there."

Karl said nothing. Glaring at the man, Josiah spoke. "I'll watch him."

Vin and JD nodded. Turning, they headed towards Chris and Buck. Reaching the boys, both men were almost bowled over when Chris and Buck tackled them.

Holding the boys close for several minutes, Vin moved slightly so he could look up at Ezra. "I thought we told you to stay back?"

Ezra shifted slightly. "Yes, but we felt we could do some help. And it was a good thing that we came along."

Vin glared at the gambler. Turning back to the kids, he had to ask. "How did you know when to bite the man, Buck?"

Pulling away from JD, Buck turned to look over at Vin. "Cause Chris told me to. He counted down."

Raising an eyebrow, Vin turned to Chris. The older boy smiled. "I counted down. Buck knew what to do. We figured out a system."

JD laughed slightly. "Well, it's a good system."

Nathan moved from hovering to crouching near the group. "Buck? You want to come over here? I need to check you out."

Buck turned in JD's arms and frowned. "But I'm not hurt."

"I just want to make sure you're okay. I'm sure you're fine, but it would make me feel better."

The four year-old, eyed the healer for a second, trying to figure out if there was a trick in there. Finally, he wiggled out of JD's arms and over to Nathan. "I'm fine, Uncle Nate."

Checking the young boy over, Nathan nodded. "I'm sure you are, but I just want to make sure you aren't suffering any ill effects from having to bite Karl."

Screw his face up in disgust, Buck nodded after a few minutes. "You think he gave me something?"

Nathan grinned slightly. "No, I don't think he gave you anything, but you seem okay. You aren't tired or have a headache?"

Buck shook his head. "Nope, I'm good. Can we go home now?"

Nathan nodded. "Soon, I just want to make sure you and Chris don't feel anything from being drugged."

Sighing, Chris spoke up. "But I'm fine."

Glaring at the four men for a moment, he finally turned back to Chris. "I'm sure you are, but I just want to make sure."

Chris nodded. "All right, but no tea?"

Nathan nodded. "No tea, but I reserve the right to give you honey water."

Both boys nodded. Ezra frowned, "Honey water?"

JD leaned over and whispered into Ezra's ear. "Its what Nate calls tea with honey in it. It seems the boys don't mind drinking that. Its just the Tea word they don't like."

Nodding in understanding. Vin broke up the conversation. "You think we can leave here today or should we stay overnight?"

Silent for a moment, Nathan finally sighed. "I don't want to stay here, but I would rather have the boys sleep in a bed tonight instead of outside."

Chris and Buck shared a look. "Uncle Nate, we don't mind camping out."

Looking down at Chris, Nathan nodded. "I know, but you two have been through a lot, and I want to make sure you get a good night's sleep tonight."

Chris shared a long look with Buck then nodded. "All right."

Vin grinned at the disappointment from Chris. "Don't worry, we'll all be here with you."

The two boys nodded, though they still didn't seem happy about staying at the house.

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Several hours later, Josiah walked up from the basement where they had put Karl for the night. "The boys asleep yet?"

Ezra, sipping on some coffee shook his head. "No. Every time we think they've fallen asleep, one of the two will still be awake and start to cry out for them."

Josiah settled down, grabbing a cup of coffee. "They've been through a lot in a short time. They're just a little shook up."

"They shouldn't have had to go through it. They've been through enough."

"I know. I agree this shouldn't have happen to them, but it did. We can only be there for them. And you did do good."

Taking a sip of the coffee, the Southern shook his head. "Lucky them. I couldn't do anything to stop what was happening. If I had been more alert, they would have never been taken in the first place."

The ex-preacher sighed. "It wasn't your fault either. In fact, it was lucky that the two idiots took you with them."

Snorting in disbelief, the gambler stared at Josiah. "How do you think that it is lucky? The boys were dragged out of Four Corners, taken here, then attacked again, when they thought themselves safe. How is it lucky?"

Taking a long drink of the coffee, Josiah finally answered. "You were there with them. They had you to lean on through the whole thing. They weren't alone. They could look to you when they were scared."

Staring down at the half empty coffee cup, Ezra nodded slightly. "I see your point, but it still shouldn't have happened. They shouldn't worry about being taken."

A grin graced Josiah's face. "That, I have agree with. They shouldn't have had to deal with any of it, but we're are here for them. They'll get through it."

With a sigh, Ezra finished his coffee. Staring at the empty mug, he turned to stare at the door that Karl was held behind. "At least they will never have to deal with that man and his plans again."

"That is very true brother. Very true."

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Vin and JD shared a look. They were scared to move. It seemed that when they thought the two boys were asleep, they would move, and one of them would wake up or cry out. After the fifth time it happened, they had decided not to move until the boys were both truly asleep. Though, now that it seemed that both boys were deep asleep, neither man wanted to move in fear that one of the boys would wake up.

After staring at each other for several long minutes, Vin sighed. "You comfortable, JD?"

With a slight groan, JD answered. "Barely, this bed wasn't made for this many people."

"I hear ya. But if we want to get some sleep tonight, I think we're stuck."

Chuckling softly, JD had to agree. "You think that they'll ever go to sleep again without one of us near them?"

Vin grinned slightly. "Someday."

"I'm glad they had Ezra with them. I would hate to think if they didn't have him with them."

"We were lucky he was with them. If he wasn't..."

JD shook his head. "I don't want to think about what ifs. Ezra was with them,and nothing happened."

Taking a moment to smooth down Chris's hair, Vin nodded to himself. "Yes, nothing happened that can't be fixed."

JD running a hand through Buck's hair in a mirror of Vin's action, JD nodded. "Right, nothing happened that can't be fixed."

With that the two men fell silent, each lost in thought.

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	10. Chapter 10

See Disclaimer in part 1

Part 10

Yawning, Nathan stared at the black sludge that seemed to have crawled into his coffee cup. Staring at the sludge, he wondered why he had agreed to take the morning watch.

Just as he was about to toss the coffee in the cup, he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Turning with a hand on his gun, Nathan relaxed when he saw it was Vin. "Good, you're just in time to wrestle the last of the coffee into submission."

"It can't be that bad."

Nathan handed the coffee cup to Vin. "Yes it is."

Not even taking a glance at the sludge in the cup, Vin took a deep drink. "Not bad."

Blinking at the Texan, Nate shook his head. "I really don't want to know how you can stomach that."

Grinning, Vin took another sip, then motioned with his head towards the door. "How's our guest?"

"Complaining. He wants to be untied. I told him that was nice, it wasn't going to happen. He had better luck with actually feeding him."

Quirking an eyebrow, Vin shook his head. "What did he say to that?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Nathan stifled a yawn. "Asked when we would feed him."

Snickering, Vin, settled across from the healer. "You get any sleep last night?"

"Some, you?"

"Some. The boys kept waking up."

"I'm not surprised, they've had a lot happen to them. Hopefully, once we get back to Four Corners, they'll settle down."

Vin nodded. "I hope you're right. I don't like seeing them like this."

"I don't either," Nathan stated as he watched Vin take another sip of the deadly coffee. "What are we going to do with Karl, anyway?"

"We're going to take him back to Four Corners, then let Travis figure out what he should do with him."

"We have to bring him back with us?"

Hiding a smile at the whining tone in Nathan's voice, Vin nodded. "Yes, JD already shot down my suggestion of staking him over an ant hill covered in honey."

"I have to say, I think I like your idea better."

Nodding in agreement. Vin was about to say something when they heard a clatter of feet coming down from the stairs. Turning both men smiled when they spotted the boys with JD trailing behind them.

The two boys clambered up beside Vin and Nathan. Buck peered into Vin's coffee cup. Frowning, he poked Chris.

Turning to look at Buck, who was pointing at the cup, Chris peered into the cup too. Looking up from the cup, Chris asked, "Da, I think your coffee just moved by itself."

Looking down at his cup, Vin frowned. "It didn't move. It's not alive."

The two boys shared a look, then looked up innocently at Vin. "If you say so."

Nathan and JD couldn't help but chuckle at the statement.

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The horses were saddled. Karl was gagged and tied on one of the horses from the barn. Josiah frowned as he look around. Turning to JD, he frowned. "Where are the boys?"

Blinking at Josiah, JD looked around the yard. "I thought they were with you?"

"They were, I told them to say close."

JD wiped his head with his hand. "They couldn't have gone far. They've barely been out of arms reach of one of us since we found them."

The ex-preacher nodded. "I know..." Trailing off, he frowned when heard something, then smiled. "I have a feeling, though. I know where they went."

JD stared at Josiah until he heard the same sound. "I think I know,  
too."

With a grin, JD left Josiah with the prisoner and walked towards where the horses had been let out. He walked over to the fence, where the two boys were watching the animals. Settling next to them, JD watched the horses for a second, then look down at the boys. "You two okay?"

Buck looked up at JD. "Da? Are we leaving the horses by themselves? They could get hurt or something might attack them."

Staring at the two boys, JD couldn't believe how, after everything the two went through, they were worried about the horses. "Don't worry about the horses. They're going to be okay. When we ride through town, we're planning to hire someone to watch the horses and the house."

Chris nodded. Buck didn't looked convinced."Are they going to be all right till the person comes or should we have them come with us?"

JD looked at Chris. The older boy shrugged his shoulders. "It's horses."

Smiling slightly, JD spoke. "They'll be fine for a short while. They know how to take care of themselves and we left them lots of food."

Staring at his Da, Buck finally nodded. "Okay, are we going now?"

JD nodded, "Yep, we're all set. What do you say that we go home now?"

Buck nodded. Chris smiled. "Yep, we're ready, Buck was just worried about the horses. We're ready."

With a smile, JD held out his hands. Buck and Chris each grabbed hold, and allowed JD to lead them back towards the others.

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Vin looked around at the rest of the men, making sure they were all on their horses. He couldn't wait to leave this ranch and get back home.

Looking down at Chris, who was seated in front of him, he smiled. "You ready to go?"

Chris nodded. "Home?"

"Yep."

Before Vin could say anything else, Ezra spoke up. "Mister Tanner, are we actually leaving this place anytime soon?"

Turning around, Vin rolled his eyes. "Yes, we're leaving now. You sure you don't want to set on fire?"

Buck's voice suddenly piped up from where he was seated in front of JD. "You might hurt the horses!"

Ezra nodded towards Buck. "I think if we tried, Buck would never speak to us again."

Chris piped up from his seat on Peso. "I wouldn't either. The horses didn't do anything."

Looking down at the serious look on Chirs's face, Vin sighed. "I think I have to agree with Chris and Buck. We leave it."

Riding up so he was next to Vin, Ezra had to agree with the statement. "Chris and Buck have spoken. Shall we then depart, and leave this dreadful place behind?"

Nodding, Vin took one last glance around. "You want to lead the way, Ezra?"

Grinning, he nodded. "It will be my pleasure."

With that the group headed out from the ranch and headed home.

777777

Two weeks later, Vin stepped out from the jail house. Karl had been picked up that morning to be taken to Yuma prison. Travis had been more then happy to come out and sentence Karl to prison for life.

Even with Karl gone, the two boys still hadn't recovered. Chris and Buck rarely moved more than an arm's length away from each other, unless they were surround by their Uncles and their Da's. Buck  
woke up at night with nightmares about the incident. The only thing that put him back to sleep was Vin and JD sleeping with them.

The smiles had once again started to appear on their faces, though they were still hard to come by and both boys had been quieter than what they had once been. Even allowing Buck to see their horses every day hadn't brought the usually talkative boy to say much.

Lost in thought, he didn't hear JD come up along beside him until a hand landed in his shoulder.

Jerking slightly, he turned quickly. He stopped the reflex from hitting the person, when he saw who it was. "Don't sneak up on me."

JD grinned. "Maybe you need your ears checked. I wasn't sneaking up. You okay?"

"Yes, just thinking about the boys."

JD nodded. "They'll be okay."

"How can you be so sure? They're too quiet."

Kicking the wood of the boardwalk, JD spoke softly. "They're young, they're back here safe and it will just take some time. Before we know it, they'll be up to their old tricks. I bet Buck will start asking about getting his horse soon."

The tracker nodded, not quite believing JD's words, but not disregarding them. "You're probably right. So, have you seen them yet today?"

"Yes, Ezra convinced them that he needed their help. They seemed very willing to help out. I believe Ezra wanted them to witness something."

Vin looked over at JD, "I think they've been spending too much time with Ezra."

JD grinned slightly, "Would this have anything to do with the three of them alibiing each other last night?"

Vin nodded, "Yep, didn't help that Josiah and Nathan started to help."

Shaking his head, JD leaned back against the chair. "Do I want to know why they were doing this?"

Before Vin could answer, Chris and Buck raced down the road towards them, while avoiding their Uncles.

Watching the group, Vin finally answered. "I think we'll find out in a few minutes why the three of them were trying to get Chris and Buck to cover for them."

Vin and JD watched as the two boys, spotting their fathers, altered their course so they would be able to get to them.

The two men braced themselves for the impact.

As Buck and Chris slammed into JD and Vin, the two men heard the boys both say at once. "We didn't touch it."

Blinking at the two kids, Vin and JD turned and stared at the three men who were covered in mud and feathers.

Vin, biting back his laughter, spoke. "What happened?"

The three men had skidded to a stop in front of JD and Vin. Josiah was the first to speak. "We were playing tag with the boys. It seemed that we found Mr. Grady's feather stash."

JD cleared his throat, trying to hide his laughter. "And where were these feathers stashed? But how did you get covered in mud first?"

Nathan, trying to pluck off a feather, sighed. "There's a little stream that has turned some of the lawn behind the church into a mud field. We fell."

"Into a pile of feathers that were there to stop you from sliding in the mud?"

Looking at the tracker, Ezra nodded. "You, sir, are correct."

Taking a moment to look at the two boys, who seemed to be holding back their own laughter, JD had to throw in his two cents. " So ,then if that is what happened, why are you chasing the boys? They trip you or something?"

The three men shared a long look. "No, they didn't trip us, we just felt that they would enjoy a nice hug from us."

Chris piped up from the safety of Vin's arms "That wasn't it, you said that we needed to say you were playing tag with us. Cause you didn't want to get in trouble."

Buck nodded in agreement with what Chris had said.

JD smiled, "So, what were you three really doing?"

The three men tried to look innocent, which they failed miserably at. Chris and Buck started to giggle as the mud slowly seemed to slide down from each man's hair into eyes. Then, as Ezra tried to brush a glop of mud from his eyes, he planted a feather on his nose.

The boys gave up and started to laugh.

The five men paused, staring at the two boys. The first laughter from the boys since the incident. JD finally gave into his laughter, and in between chuckles, spat out. "I don't want to know what happened. This time you get a pass."

Vin nodded in agreement as he started to laugh.

For several seconds, the three men just stared at each other. Finally, they started to laugh as they took in their appearance, Nathan gasped out between the chuckles. "We do look sort of silly, and I'm not  
looking a gift horse in the mouth."

The other two men nodded in agreement.

The End.


End file.
